Niko lay motionless in the hospital bed,
surrounded by busy doctors and nurses.
He felt his breath growing heavier,
his body weak, unable to move.
Niko thought to himself...
I'm only 19 years old, still so young...
The last 9 years of my life have been spent in this sickbed,
surrounded by medications, needles, and pain...
I've never experienced a normal life like my friends...
I've never felt love from someone...
I've never known true happiness...
What did I do wrong to deserve this fate?
Why is my life so cruel, so unfair?
He closed his eyes, letting the world fade without a sound.
~~~~
The air in the hospital basement was heavy and damp. A faint white light hummed above, casting pale reflections on the metal surfaces. Between rows of cold drawers, the nurse stood still. Before her, the man she had once cared for lay motionless on a stainless steel table. There was no beeping monitor now, no breath, only the stillness that swallowed sound itself.
Her hands trembled as she pulled down the white sheet, revealing his face. Cold. Still. Too still to feel real. She stared at him for a long time, waiting for a rise in his chest, a flicker of movement, anything that could prove time had not ended. But nothing came. Only silence, sharp and absolute.
Each passing second felt unreal. In this place, time had lost its meaning. The only sound was the dull hum of the ventilation and the faint buzz of the light above. She didn't even know why she was standing there—perhaps to say goodbye, or perhaps because she wasn't ready to let go.
She remembered the little things that would mean nothing to anyone else—the faint smile he wore despite the pain, the way he asked for water in a voice so gentle it stayed in her chest, the quiet glances that said too much. All of it now drifted through the cold air, unreachable.
The nurse swallowed hard. Something stuck in her throat, a word that refused to form. "I came too late," she whispered, but her voice broke apart before it could reach the air.
A tear fell, landing on the steel surface with a soft sound, like the first drop of rain. One, then another, until her eyes blurred. She reached out, tracing his cheek with the tip of her fingers, seeking warmth that no longer existed.
"I'm sorry," she murmured. "Sorry for not being right. Sorry for loving you the wrong way." Her breath fogged in the cold air, hanging for a moment before vanishing.
She drew a deep breath, trying to steady herself, but every time she looked at him, her chest hollowed out. This wasn't just grief—it was a confession, too late to matter. A love that only felt real when there was no one left to feel it with her.
The hum of the cooling system filled the room like a heartbeat not her own. She stood frozen, guilty that her own heart still beat while his would never again.
She pulled the sheet back over his face, her movements slow, tender, careful—as if afraid to disturb his eternal sleep. "Rest now," she whispered, though no one could hear.
Time passed differently there. Each second dripped like water into the depths of her heart. She knew she had to leave soon, but her feet would not move. Some part of her had decided to stay behind.
She glanced down at the ring on her finger. Its shine felt foreign now, as cold as the room around her. "I never meant to betray anyone," she said quietly. "But I couldn't pretend I felt nothing."
The mortuary was silent, but in her mind, the echoes of the past played softly—his laughter, his quiet breath, his last "thank you" whispered through a weak smile. Each sound returned, fragile and beautiful.
She leaned forward, pressing her lips gently to his forehead. It was a farewell without words, not as a nurse, not as someone's wife, but as a woman who had loved too deeply in silence. Tears slid down again, soaking into the fabric that covered him.
Then she straightened, inhaling slowly, trying to seal everything inside her heart—somewhere no one would ever find. Her face was blank, but her eyes held the weight of something endless.
When she finally turned away, her steps felt heavy. The echo of her shoes against the tiled floor sounded too loud in that quiet room, marking the distance between the living and the dead.
At the door, she paused and looked back one last time. The light above the man flickered softly, like a quiet goodbye. She didn't speak. She just looked, then closed the door gently behind her.
The hallway outside was warmer, but emptier. The world went on as if nothing had happened. Yet inside her, something had stopped. She lowered her head, breathed in, and let her tears fall without sound.
"May you be at peace," she whispered, and began to walk away. Her steps were slow, each one carrying the weight of a love that was never allowed to live, and a silence that would follow her forever.
~~~~
On the other side: Niko.
Darkness. That was the first thing he felt—not cold, not warmth, just the absence of everything. Niko opened his eyes, but there was nothing to see. No ground, no sky, only the endless black pressing against his thoughts. He tried to move, yet even the idea of motion felt meaningless.
A faint echo followed his breath, though he wasn't sure if he was still breathing. Time didn't seem to exist here; there was only silence, heavy and endless. For a moment, he wondered if this was what it meant to disappear.
"Hello?"
The word left his lips softly, almost like a whisper afraid of its own echo. He hoped for someone—or *something*—to answer.
But only silence replied.
The emptiness pressed against his thoughts, heavy and endless, until Niko wondered, *"Is this what comes after death… just nothingness?"*
He stayed still for a long time, floating in the darkness without direction, without time—his own mind the only thing keeping him company.
Then, suddenly, a voice broke through the silence.
"Hey, Niko. I've seen all your struggles… and heard your wish."
From within the void, a face emerged—shapeless, pitch-black, with eyes glowing faintly white.
Niko stared quietly, uncertain what he was looking at.
It wasn't fear that filled him, but a quiet kind of astonishment, as if his mind needed a moment to accept that *something* truly existed in this empty place.
"Who are you?"
Niko's voice came out hoarse, a mix of confusion and nervousness. He took a small step back, staring at the massive, shadowy figure. "Why are you so big, shapeless, and also—"
"Hold on." The deep voice echoed softly, almost lazy, yet it filled the empty darkness around them. "Calm down. I'm not some god who can answer everything. I'm just here… to make a *deal* with you."
"A deal?" Niko repeated, frowning slightly. He was still confused, but there was more curiosity in his tone than fear.
"That's right." The white eyes glowed a little brighter. "So, save your questions for later. Let me explain first, okay?"
"…Fine." Niko let out a small sigh, crossing his arms instinctively—even though in this void, it wasn't clear who he was trying to look strong for.
"Here's the thing," the shadowy figure began slowly. "I was a human. Just like you. But I had a deadly disease—something no medicine could cure. I knew I was going to die. So… I studied soul exchange magic. The only way I could keep existing."
Niko's eyes widened slightly. "You… were human?"
"Yes." The figure gave a subtle nod—or at least something that felt like it. "And after searching for a long time… I found you. Someone with a fate very similar to mine. So I chose you."
"W-wait." Niko raised his hand, as if trying to pause everything for a moment. "That's way too much info all at once… You've been watching me? You *know* me? What do you mean 'similar to you'? Are you me from the future or something—like in those movies? And what do you mean by 'soul exchange'?"
The figure let out a low chuckle, echoing like a distant rumble. "I know you're confused, Niko. But relax. I'll explain everything. Just let me finish talking first, okay?"
"…Okay," Niko muttered, though his thoughts were still spinning wildly.
"Alright then, where were we?"
"Oh, seriously? At the part about our *fates* being similar," Niko muttered.
"Oh~~ right, that," the figure replied lazily. "Since our fates are similar and our souls match perfectly for this exchange… and because I don't have much time left—even as we speak, my soul grows weaker—we can't waste any more time. So, do you accept?"
"Accept? You haven't even answered my questions yet!"
"Ah, right. I forgot about that. My bad," the figure chuckled awkwardly. "So, what do you want to ask?"
Niko sighed. "Seriously… Fine. Who are you?"
"Oh, I should've introduced myself first. How rude of me." The figure's voice lowered slightly. "My name is Niko. I was a Dark Knight from the Kingdom of Azulma. I had an incurable disease… just like you."
A sarcastic smile spread across his face as his form shifted, shrinking into a human shape identical in size to Niko's.
"Alright… fair enough. Then what exactly is *soul exchange*?"
"Hm." The shadow—no, the man now—folded his arms. "Soul exchange is a method where two individuals trade souls. But this one is… different. This is *my* version. It has an advantage: even after the exchange, I'll still exist inside your new body as a spirit. We can switch places when needed. Honestly, I should've been captured and executed for using this forbidden technique. But I ran out of options."
For a brief moment, his voice wavered. The weight behind his words hung in the empty dark.
"Ah, sorry," Niko said softly. "I didn't mean to make you sad."
"Don't worry," the man replied with a faint smile. "It's just… when I remember my friends, my family… and my wife. We were married not long ago. I can't stand the thought of making her cry."
Niko blinked. "…Wait. You have a wife?"
"Yes."
"Like… a *partner*? A lover? Like in those movies?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Uh…" Niko scratched his cheek, awkward. "…I don't have experience with that."
The man let out a low laugh. "I figured. But don't worry—I won't let you *touch* my wife. Ever."
His tone shifted subtly. Not loud, but sharp—like a warning wrapped in a smile.
Niko raised both hands. "Relax, I won't! Hahaha…"
"So, are you done asking questions?"
The shadow's tone grew a little sharper this time—impatient, like someone who didn't like waiting too long.
"Wait," Niko frowned, "you mean… I'll be alive again?"
"Yes," the figure replied flatly. "In *my* body. What? Did you think just because I said I had the same disease as you, I couldn't move?"
"Well, kinda…" Niko shrugged a little, not entirely sure how else to respond.
"Relax," the shadow sighed. "My illness isn't tied to my body. It's… something in my soul. I don't even know where it came from. But my body is still healthy. Did you not listen earlier? I told you—I'm a knight of the Kingdom of Azulma. And not just any knight."
Niko tilted his head. "Yeah… I never really liked knights. They're like emotionless robots in weird armor."
"Take that back," the man snapped, a flash of irritation in his voice.
"Why? I'm just being honest," Niko replied, then quickly tried to change the subject. "So… your body's strong, huh?"
The man sighed long and deep. "I can't believe I got mad at you this fast. Maybe that's a good sign."
He crossed his arms, his tone softening a bit. "Yes, my body's strong. It has great physical abilities. And I can use magic too, in case that's hard for your little brain to process."
"Let me think," Niko said, squinting at the figure. "I'm not just going to accept this right away. For all I know, you could be some evil creature—like the ones in the books and movies I've read."
"You really are annoying, you know that?" the figure replied, his tone somewhere between irritated and desperate. "I don't have much time left. You can see it too, right? I've gotten smaller. That's not something I chose—it's the effect of how long we've been talking here."
"Ehh, but I don't want to suddenly turn into some monster for your evil plans!" Niko snapped, taking a step back.
The figure let out a long sigh. "Unbelievable. I can't tell if you're smart or just unbelievably stupid. Fine, then. See for yourself."
The shadow began to circle Niko, moving faster and faster.
"W-what are you doing?" Niko stammered, a hint of panic creeping into his voice.
Suddenly, a strange language—something inhuman and ancient—filled the air. The sound drilled into his head like needles. His vision blurred, and a sharp pain spread through his skull as the world around him spun.
The sound grew sharper—like countless whispers crashing into his head.
In an instant, flashes of memories tore through his mind. Two streams—one his own, one belonging to the shadow—rushed toward him at once. Faces, battles, pain, love, and death—everything tangled like a storm with no beginning or end.
Then the world bent.
Niko's body was pulled upward, weightless, into a spiraling tunnel of light and darkness—a place that looked like a wormhole hanging in the void of space. Time stretched and folded in strange ways, as if everything existed and vanished at once.
He couldn't tell if he was falling or floating. All he knew was that both his soul and the creature's were being dragged somewhere far beyond anything he'd ever known.
----
MEANWHILE - another person...
Something swallowed it whole—not air, not darkness, but something *far wider* than the sky itself.
It didn't see anyone's memories. Instead, its own body was torn away from its original shape. Its soul was kneaded, squeezed, and twisted, like dough being molded into something new.
The sensation stripped away all sense of direction, yet at the same time… it *rose*.
Rose to a level where a body was no longer necessary, where sight was no longer the only way to see.
It became something else.
Something unbound.
~~~~
Niko slowly opened his eyes. His head throbbed, as if it had been spun inside a whirlpool. His vision was blurry at first, but gradually, the light sharpened into a clear shape hovering above him.
"…Huh?" he mumbled softly.
As his sight finally focused, he froze.
Right on top of his body, a girl was sitting—staring down at him with a curious, almost puzzled expression.
Her short curly hair framed a pair of golden-brown cat ears that twitched slightly, and behind her, a fluffy tail swayed lazily. Her golden-yellow eyes shimmered like a cat's under moonlight.
What made Niko even more startled was her outfit… or rather, the lack of it. She wore only simple golden-brown underwear that hugged her figure snugly.
Niko's face instantly flushed red. "W-what… is this…?"
The girl tilted her head like a confused kitten. "Nya~? You finally woke up?" Her voice was soft and sweet, with a gentle purring sound rolling from her throat.
Her tail swayed more eagerly, clearly showing how amused she was.
Meanwhile, Niko—still dazed and flustered—had no idea how to react.
To be Continued.....